Arran Fino Cask Finish

A special edition Arran, finished in a Fino sherry cask (from the splendid Valdespino producer) for nine months after an initial 8 years ageing in traditional casks.

Only 7980 bottles of this Arran Fino Cask Finish single malt were released. Matured for 8 years in an ex-bourbon cask, this whisky enjoyed a further 9 months to finish in a Fino sherry cask from Valdespino.

Arran distillery is situated to the East of the village of Lochranza at the North of the island and takes its water from the Loch na Davie. Founded in 1993, by Chivas Brothers’ retiring managing director, Harold Currie, the distillery is the only one on the Isle of Arran since the most recent legally run distillery, ‘Lagg’, was closed in 1837.

Mr Currie stylized the buildings with the intention of giving them a much more traditional, classic appearance. During the early stages of building, work was briefly interrupted when a pair of Golden Eagles, nesting in the crags above the distillery, tended to their young. The eagles can be seen, to this day, from the courtyard at the distillery.

Production began on the 17th August 1995. A year later and a one year old was released, of course not technically a whisky, it was released as ‘Arran 1 Year Old Spirit’, and showed great promise for a spirit still in its proverbial adolescence. Though Arran has a capacity of 750,000 litres, the distillery only produces a around a fifth of this.

The core expressions include a ten year old, officially released in 2006, and a cask-strength, the ominously named ‘100 Proof’. Yearly single cask special editions are released, finished in either sherry or bourbon butts. Some interesting finishes have also been released, including a Bordeaux, a port and a Calvados.